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Meet Midway's candidates

Midway perspective

By Len Calderone
Columnist

POSTED:September 23, 2013 5:00 p.m.

The present terms for the Midway mayor and city-council members are coming to an end. On Nov. 5, the citizens of Midway will decide who they want to manage the city for the next four years. Why should you vote? If you like to complain that changes are needed, voting is for you. Why would you want someone else deciding what’s best for you? Your opinions matter. It’s time to be heard. It’s your money — be sure it is being spent the way you want. It’s your neighborhood, and the elected officials you vote for make daily decisions about crime prevention, law enforcement and laws that affect your life. Every political issue and policy affects you, whether you know it or not. If you don’t vote, you’re putting control of your city into the hands of someone else, and you have no idea where those hands have been.All the candidates were contacted, but some did not want to list their backgrounds here. To help voters with their decisions, here is an introductory list of the candidates who did agree to share their information:For mayor:• Terry Doyle — Terry, a Vietnam veteran, served 27 years in the U.S. Air Force as an air-traffic controller, airfield manager and Department of Defense liaison in the Pacific. He also served 16 years with the American Red Cross, supporting and deploying with our service members. He retired as a senior district manager with managerial oversight on military installations and facilities spanning from New York to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. He has served four years on the Midway City Council. Terry chose Midway as his retirement home.Mayoral incumbent Dr. Clemontine Washington also is running.For city council:• Len Calderone — Len has lived in Midway for the past 11 years and writes the “Midway Perspective” column for the Coastal Courier. Len has spent more than 50 years in corporate-management positions and served as a consultant for international companies looking to establish a presence in the United States. For six years, he sat as a director of the Rancho Carlsbad community of 500 homes in California. He also served a year as a small-claims judge. Len was in the U.S. Army. • Don Emmons — A former mayor and city council member, Don has 33 years of experience in the business world of retail, food and services. He attended executive-management schools at Texas A&M, the University of Arkansas and AAFES, sponsored by the Harvard School of Business. He currently is a member of the Midway Museum board of directors, the Tri County Protective Agency (domestic-violence shelter) board of directors and is a Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission commissioner. • Melice Gerace — Melice served as an appointed commissioner on the Liberty Consolidated Planning Commission for five years. She owned the Cone Zone for 10 years. She presently serves on the Midway City Council and has attended numerous training classes pertaining to the management of city government. A resident of Midway for 38 years, Melice has five children and six grandchildren, all of whom live in Midway.• Chirag Patel — Chirag is the owner/operator of the Midway Motel. After earning an MBA in 2004, Chirag chose to relocate to Midway to start a business and family. As an MBA-educated local business owner, Chirag has fine-tuned his skills in leadership, finance and operations management, and he’s dedicated to the public safety and economic health of Midway. Chirag originally is from India. He became a U.S. citizen in 2008.Incumbents Curtes Roberts Sr., Midway mayor pro tem, and Levern Clancy Jr. also are running for re-election to the council.This is a critical period for Midway, and every vote counts. Who’s representing you? Find out and make sure your concerns are their concerns. Support your candidate.